We hardly knew you, Philly. As the BevNET edit team says hello and then goodbye to the City of Brotherly Love for this final-ever Natural Products Expo East, we’re kicking off our ongoing event coverage with a roundup of news and product launches that features a pair brands making bold pivots into hot categories – prebiotic sodas and hydration drinks, to be specific – while another looks to a colorful ingredient play to keep its wellness drinks thriving.

GNGR Labs (#744) - What's the next move for the NYC-based juice shot maker? Growing up -- as in launching a full-size, 12 oz sparkling beverage in a pair of SKUs inspired by their ginger-forward juices. Sweetened with juice (no stevia) and clocking in at 50 or 80 calories per can (priced $3.99), the new products are aiming to leverage GNGR's hard-earned distro gains with New York City independents (around 1,200 stores via DSD partner Dora's) and seed the brand for further growth down the line. Both flavors -- Vitamin C (Orange, Turmeric, Ginger) and Lemonaid (Ginger, Lemon, Honey) -- will be showcased at its booth, alongside its recently introduced Vitamin D Booster shot. 

Clear Cut (#921) - Caffeine-spiked sparkling water Phocus scored big earlier this year when it recruited Kentucky-born rapper Jack Harlow as an investor and ambassador, but parent company Clear Cut has other irons in the fire, too. At Expo this week, expect to see a pair of new innovations, starting with six-SKU sports drink line Hero in 16 oz. bottles. In a resurgent next-gen-hydration set -- see: PRIME, Electrolit -- CEO Joey Nickell (a former Vital Pharmaceuticals SVP) said the launch is inspired by demand for new options from regional buyers; staying outside of major markets will mean leaning on college athletes as ambassadors, he noted. Elsewhere, "energy and focus" shot LEVO, now available at Kroger and packing 75 mg of caffeine per 2 oz. bottle, is aiming to shake things up in a category in which even the dominant brand is having issues right now. 

Remedy Organics (#2005) is adding another color to its rainbow of releases: this week's Expo sees the debut of Super Ube Glow as the latest entry to the brand's family of 12 oz refrigerated wellness shakes. The hero ingredient Ube, an Asian sweet potato, has been ticking up in popularity within CPG (wee see you, Twirl Milk Tea), and, besides giving the shake a rich purple hue, serves as the base ingredient for a "beauty blend" (per chief formulator Cindy Kasindorf) alongside pomegranate, camu camu and coconut that purports to promote natural collagen production. Find it at the booth, and at stores like Walmart and Sprouts. 

Is Yapoun having its moment? At Wednesday’s Harvest Festival – the startup-focused Expo East exhibitor session prior to today’s large hall openings – we connected with three companies each taking different approaches to the anthocyanin rich compound, two from Texas (Cat Springs, Good+Ready) and one from Florida (Yaupon Brothers American Tea) that suggest movement is afoot.

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Whether it’s traditional staples of roasted turkey, buttered mash & pumpkin pie or more trendy options like fried turkey, cranberry bourbon sauce & jalapeno chili mash, flavor is the key element. A new holiday flavors guide from the flavor experts delivers tasty inspiration for the holiday season. Learn more

BlueTriton, one of the country’s largest bottled water producers following its $4.3 billion acquisition of Nestle Waters North America’s regional brands portfolio in 2021, has been banned by the state of California from drawing water from some of the springs it has used for more than 125 years, as reported by The Los Angeles Times. On Tuesday, the state’s water regulators voted to reduce the amount of water BlueTriton can take from public lands in the San Bernadino Mountains.

• The State Water Resources Control Board adopted an order requiring the company to immediately cease and desist its unauthorized diversions from springs in the San Bernadino National Forest for bottling water purposes, according to a press release.
• The order follows numerous complaints from the public, a multi-year investigation and an adjudicative proceeding conducted by the board’s Administrative Hearing Office. According to the press release, the hearings office concluded that BlueTriton (formerly Nestle Water North America) does not hold rights to the forest and issued a proposed order compelling the company to stop drawing water at 10 of its 13 diversion sites.
• BlueTriton, which markets brands like Arrowhead, has 30 days to petition the State Water Board for reconsideration. 

Coca-Cola-owned dairy brand Fairlife is once again under fire from animal rights group Animal Recovery Mission (ARM), this time regarding claims that is continuing to source its milk from farms rife with cattle abuse, a connection which both Coke and the farms’ owner denies.

Last week activist organization ARM released a video from an independent investigation it conducted of two Indiana farms it says are affiliated with Select Milk Producers, Inc., the owner of former Fairlife supplier Fair Oaks Farms. However, the farms’ owner says his businesses have no connection to the brand or Fair Oaks Farms.

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